Hydrophyte Volume 23 Issue 3 - July 2019

The South Florida Aquatic Plant Management Society

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Volume 23 Issue 3

Special Training Issue

Highlights

The Community’s Role in Flood Control Facts About Bees Our Alligator Neighbors Water Hyacinth: A Promising Textile Fibre Source

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President’s Message Summer is BACK! We had a nice fall and winter to sharpen our skills for this hectic time of year as algae blooms start popping up. What better way to learn about current events, problems and solutions than by reading this publication and supplementing it with attending the upcoming September 26 meeting.

The Board would like to challenge our current membership to bring 1 new member to the next meeting on September 26. SFAPMS membership provides the biggest BANG FOR YOUR BUCK with an opportunity to get 12 CEUs per year, and 4 Hydrophyte Magazines with great articles on fishing techniques, innovative aquatic weed treatments, delicious recipes, and training modules. Let others in our field know about SFAPMS and the great opportunities to exchange ideas and learn new innovative technology in the field at each meeting we host!

We encourage you to attend, mingle and be part of SFAPMS! Looking forward to seeing everyone and thank you for your continued support!

Hughie Cucurullo President

Board Members - 2019 Officers 2019 Hughie Cucurullo, President (561) 845-5525 hcucurullo@avcaquatic.com Andy Fuhrman, Vice President (954) 382-9766 afuhrman@allstatemanagement.com Linda Wolonick, Secretary/Treasurer (954) 370-0041 linda@expertbizsolution.com Scott Jackson, Immediate Past President (561) 402-0682 scott.jackson@syngenta.com Board Members 2019 Rose Bechard-Butman (954) 519-0317 rbechardbutman@broward.org James Boggs (352) 521-3538

boggsj@helenachemical.com

Norma Cassinari (334) 741-9393

ngcassinari@alligare.com

Lyn Gettys, Ph.D. (954) 577-6331

lgettys@ufl.edu

Scott Jackson (561) 402-0682 Dail Laughinghouse (954) 577-6382 Rory Roten, Ph.D. (321) 890-4367 Dharmen Setaram (407) 670-4094

scott.jackson@syngenta.com hlaughinghouse@ufl.edu roryr@sepro.com dsetaram@landolakes.com

Steven Weinsier (954) 382-9766 sweinsier@allstatemanagement.com

The Francis E. “Chil” Rossbach Scholarship Fund

Credit: Cover Photo by Dustin Anderson

Funds from the scholarship are used to help defray costs for students taking classes related to the study of aquatic environmental sciences or related areas. The scholarship is open to anyone, and all are encouraged to apply. Applications will be accepted throughout the year and the scholarship awarded when a suitable candidate is found. Money raised by the Society during the year partially goes to fund this scholarship, the intent of which is to promote the study of aquatics.

For an application, please go to www.sfapms.org.

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Training Module - The Community’s Role in Flood Control No continuing education credits are available for this training module, it is purely for training purposes.

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Facts about Bees Did You know?

Credit: South Florida Beekeepers Association

1. Honey bees must gather nectar from two million flowers to make one pound of honey.

2. One bee has to fly about 90,000 miles – three times around the globe – to make one pound of honey.

3. The average bee will make only 1/12th of a teaspoon of honey in its lifetime.

4. A honey bee visits 50 to 100 flowers during a collection trip.

5. A honey bee can fly for up to six miles, and as fast as 15 miles per hour.

6. The bee’s brain is oval in shape and about the size of a sesame seed, yet it has a remarkable capacity to learn and remember things. For example, it is able to make complex calculations on distance travelled and foraging efficiency.

7. Honey bees communicate with one another by dancing.

8. A colony of bees consists of 20,000-60,000 honey bees and one queen. Worker honey bees are female, live for about 6 weeks and do all the work.

9. The queen bee can live up to 5 years and is the only bee that lays eggs. She is the busiest in the summer months, when the hive needs to be at its maximum strength, and lays up to 2500 eggs per day.

10. Larger than the worker bees, the male honey bees (also called drones), have no stinger and do no work.

All they do is mate.

11. Honey has antiseptic properties and was historically used as a dressing for wounds and a first aid treatment for burns and cuts.

12. Honey bees have been producing honey in the same way for 150 million years.

13. The honey bee is the only insect that produces food eaten by man.

14. Honey lasts an incredibly long time. An explorer who found a 2000 year old jar of honey in an Egyptian tomb said it tasted delicious!

15. The bees’ buzz is the sound made by their wings which beat 11,400 times per minute.

16. When a bee finds a good source of nectar it flies back to the hive and shows its friends where the nectar source is by doing a dance which positions the flower in relation to the sun and hive. This is known as the ‘waggle dance.’

17. Honey is incredibly healthy and includes enzymes, vitamins, minerals. It’s the only food that contains “pinocembrin”, an antioxidant associated with improved brain functioning.

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Our Alligator Neighbors

By Steve Carbol, Lake & Wetland Management Biologist

Florida’s wildlife is rich, beautiful, and, as the word implies, wild. The Sunshine State’s diverse fauna includes a creature that has existed here in its current form for at least the last 8 million years; the American Alligator. Co-existing with alligators is an everyday part of Floridian life, and since we humans are the newcomers, we must exercise understanding and caution in our dealings with our beloved state reptile.

In the spring a young alligator's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love, and April marks the start of the breeding season for Florida's one million+ alligators.

Both males and females bellow to define territories and attract suitors, followed by mating in May and June.

Shortly after, gravid females individually construct large nests by mounding vegetation near the water's edge and lay and bury 30-50 leathery-shelled, oblong eggs. The nest functions like a compost heap and as it decomposes it generates heat to incubate the eggs, with the mother closely guarding the nest and adding or removing material as needed. After 63 to 68 days, young alligators hatch mid-August through September. The young chirp to alert their mother to their emergence. Upon hearing her babies' calls, Ma ‘Gator carefully excavates her hatchlings, and ushers

them to the water’s edge. Often alligator mothers gently gather their little ones up in their mouths and carry them safely to the water. Understandably, spring is a very sensitive time for our reptilian neighbors, and the increase in activity for courtship and nesting can potentially lead to more frequent encounters with humans. Alligator bites are uncommon, but residents living near alligator habitat are encouraged to be observant and cautious around waterways. Pets should not be allowed to swim in, drink from, or approach waters inhabited by alligators. Dogs have a higher risk of encounters with alligators because they bear more than a passing resemblance to raccoons, foxes, opossums and alligators’ other natural mammalian prey.

Many issues with alligators arise from individuals that have been fed by humans, subsequently lost their fear of people, and thus see people as a food source.

Feeding alligators is illegal and highly dangerous.

Florida state law prohibits harassing, killing, feeding or possessing alligators except under special permit.

Should any issues arise with large nuisance alligators in communities, individuals should be reported to property management, if any, or the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission with the understanding that reported alligators are typically killed, not relocated.

Alligators have called Florida home for millions of years and have become an important and iconic part of our heritage. Living harmoniously with gators is easy with just a little understanding and caution. In return, our big reptile neighbors contribute greatly to the health and aesthetics of our wetlands and to our cultural identity as Floridians.

Photos by Dustin Anderson

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Water Hyacinth: A promising Textile Fibre Source By: Bhawana Chanana & Tanushree

Water hyacinth is a free-floating perennial plant that can grow to a height of 3 feet. It has striking light blue to violet flowers located on a terminal spike. Water hyacinth is a very aggressive invader and can form thick mats. If these mats cover the entire surface of the pond they can cause oxygen depletions and fish kills. Water hyacinths have to be controlled so they do not cover the entire pond. The positive qualities of water hyacinth are it is abundantly available, it grows readily without any need for sowing, weeding or fertilising, it does not require any land space. It costs nothing and to harvest it is an act of doing an environmental favour. Water hyacinth plant grows vigorously and abundantly to produce a large biomass.

Has leaves rich in protein, being as valuable as that in potatoes or clover. The plant has a fibrous stem, and a high potassium concentration. Water Hyacinth is actually edible, not only for animals but for people too.

Stalks and leaves are added in soups in Thailand. It has tough, fibrous roots that purify water, by absorbing the nitrogen and phosphorus on which it thrives, and also many other substances that pollute fresh water, including minerals. It absorbs toxic chemicals such as lead, mercury and strontium 90 in concentrations 10,000 times that in the surrounding water.

Water hyacinth is capable of proliferating faster than any other known fresh water plant and it is able to germinate up to 20 years (Bader et al, 2007). One plant under ideal conditions can produce 2.7 daughter plants in one week and could theoretically produce 28 000 tonnes of fresh weight in one year (Sainty, 1985).

Water hyacinth can be found in many places of the world, which indicates that this aquatic weed is prone to adaptation and can tolerate considerable environmental variation (Julien, 2008).

Indian and Global Scenario Water hyacinth grows over a wide variety of wetland types from lakes, streams, ponds, waterways, ditches

and backwater areas. In India water hyacinth potential states are Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Gujarat.

Water hyacinth grows in all types of fresh water. Water hyacinth has been widely introduced in North America, Asia, Australia, Africa and New Zealand. They can be found in large water areas such as Louisiana, or in the Kerala backwaters in India. In many areas E. crassipes particularly, is an important and pernicious invasive species. First introduced to North America in 1884, an estimated 50 kilograms per square meter of hyacinth once choked Florida's waterways, although the problem there has since been mitigated. When not controlled, water hyacinth impacts water flow, blocks sunlight from reaching native aquatic plants, and starves the water of oxygen, often killing fish (or turtles). The plants also create a prime habitat for mosquitoes, the classic vectors of disease, and a species of snail known to host a parasitic flatworm which causes schistosomiasis (snail fever).

Composition of water hyacinth Fresh water hyacinth is generally considered to be between 90 and 95 % water. An analysis at the Housing and Building Research Institute in Dhaka gave the results presented in Table 1.

Table 1: Chemical constituents of dried water hyacinth on an external ash-free basis % Cellular ash Lignin Cellulose Hemicellulose Pentosan Raw protein Extractive Miscellaneous waste

12 14 32 21 19 15 4 2

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Water Hyacinth: A promising Textile Fibre Source (Cont.)

Ecological Factors

Yarn and rope

Water hyacinth is a heliophyte plant growing best in warm waters rich in macronutrients (Centre et al., 2002). Optimal water pH for growth of this aquatic plant is neutral but it can tolerate pH values from 4 to 10 (Centre et al., 2002). This is very important fact because it points that Eichhornia crassipes can be used for treatment of different types of water waste.

The stalk from the plant is shredded lengthways to expose the fibres and then left to dry for several days.

The rope making process is similar to that of jute rope.

The finished rope is treated with sodium metabisulphite to prevent it from rotting. In Bangladesh, the rope is used by local furniture manufacturers by winding the rope around a cane frame to produce an elegant finished product.

Water Hyacinth as a source of natural textile fibre Water hyacinth fibres can be seen as raw material for the manufacture of clothing and home fabrics.

Processing the fibres with polyester staples initially produced blended yarns with 20-35% water hyacinth component. The stalks went through a series of chemical and mechanical treatment to achieve the crimp property of wool for better processing, reduce the plant's glue-like or gum content, and soften the fibres to make them fine and fit for knitting and weaving into apparel and other home textiles. For a yarn count of 15 Ne suitable for apparels, blends of 80/20 and 65/35 of polyester/water hyacinth fibres were used. The same blends of polyester/water hyacinth fibres were used to get a yarn count of 10-12 Ne ideal for home textiles such as curtains, upholstery, table runners, napkins, bed cover, pillow case, and other items found at home (Arlene & Obmerga, 2009).

Applications of water hyacinth plant Although water hyacinth is seen in many countries as a weed and is responsible for many of the problems outlined earlier in this fact sheet, many individuals, groups and institutions have been able to turn the problem around and find useful applications for the plant.

Fibre board The House and Building Research Institute in Dhaka has carried out experimental work on the production of fibre boards from water hyacinth fibre. They have developed a locally manufactured production plant for producing fibreboard for general-purpose use and also a bituminised board for use as a low cost roofing material.

Basket work In the Philippines water hyacinth is dried and used to make baskets and matting for domestic use. The key to a good product is to ensure that the stalks are properly dried before being used. If the stalks still contain moisture then this can cause the product to rot quite quickly. In India, water hyacinth is also used to produce similar goods for the tourist industry.

Water purification In a drinking water treatment plant water hyacinth have been used as part of the pre-treatment purification step. It helps in the removal of small flocks or aggregated solid matter that remain after initial coagulation and floc removal or settling (Ryder 1992).Water Hyacinth has been used in treatment systems for textile factory effluents in Sri Lanka. Five to six clean, healthy plants are incorporated into each tank. The testing of effluents for total solids, total nitrogen, nitrates, phosphates and chlorides is done.

Conclusion In last few years a great interest has been shown for research of aquatic macrophytes as good possibilities for pollutant removal or even as bio indicators for heavy metals in aquatic ecosystems (Aoi and Hayashi, 1996; Maine et al., 1999). This review article shows that there are many uses of this waste water weed. The flowers have been appreciated and distributed throughout the world. Leaves, flowers and petioles are reported to have been used as a vegetable in Java, Philippines and Formosa, but this does not seem to have become popular elsewhere. The petioles are used for making many different items like baskets, floor Continued on page 27

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mats, glass mats, vases, hats, ropes, shoe soles or as stuffing for upholstery in south-east Asian countries, particularly Thailand, Philippines and Indonesia. Rope and furniture are made in Bangladesh, Thailand and Uganda. The stalks of water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) are a viable natural source of alternative textile material, according to the Philippine Department of Science and Technology's Philippine Textile Research Institute (PTRI).

Researchers at PTRI are studying water hyacinth fibres as raw material for the manufacture of clothing and home fabrics. Processing the fibres with polyester staples initially produced blended yarns with 20-35 percent water hyacinth component. The stalks are given a series of chemical and mechanical treatment to achieve the crimp property of wool for better processing. This reduces the plant's gum content, and softens the fibres to make them fine and fit for knitting and weaving into apparel and other home textiles.

Blends of polyester/water hyacinth fibres are ideal for home textiles such as curtains, upholstery, table runners, napkins, bed cover, pillow case, and other items found at home. Hand-made paper and boards are produced in Bangladesh, India and Indonesia.

About the authors Bhawana Chanana is a Professor & Head, School of Fashion Design & Technology, Amity University, Mumbai.

Tanushree is a research scholar at Lady Irwin College, University of Delhi.

References: 1. Aoi, T., Hayashi.,T., (1996). Nutrient removal by water lettuce (Pistia strtiotes). Water Science and Technology 34:407-412.

2. Arlene R, Obmerga, PTRI, September 01, 2009 (Philippines).

3. Centre, TD. Hill, MP. Cordo, H., Julien, MH. (2002). Water hyacinth. In:Van 4. Driesche, R. Et al: Biological Control of Invasive Plants in the Eastern United States.

5. USDA Forest Service Publication FHTET- 2002-04, 41-64.

6. J.Gordon Cook, Handbook of Textile Fibres, Vol I Natural Fibres, Woodhead Publishing Limited, 2001, p 27.

7. Ryder, ML and T.Gabra Sanders 1992 Textiles from Fast castle, Berwickshire Scotland, Textile History 23:5-22.

8. Central Pulp and Paper Research Institute (CPPRI), Saharanpur, 2004, 'Biotechnological Application of Enzymes for making Paper Pulp from Green jute/ kenaf.

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2019 Calendar of Events 2019 SFAPMS General Meetings September 26, 2019 Volunteer Park - Plantation, FL

2019 SFAPMS Board Meeting Thursday November 14, 2019 Location TBD

2019 FLMS State Conference August 28-30, 2019 Hawks Cay Resort

2019 FAPMS State Conference October 14-17, 2019 St. Petersburg, FL

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